horrific

adjective

hor·​rif·​ic hȯ-ˈri-fik 

hä-

: having the power to horrify

a horrific account of the tragedy

horrifically

hȯ-ˈri-fi-k(ə-)lē 

hä-

adverb

Synonyms of horrific

• gruesome
• shocking
• horrible
• terrible
• nightmare
• horrifying
• frightening

Examples of horrific in a Sentence

horrific images of the devastation spurred many people to give generously

Recent Examples on the Web

Residents fought back, airing their complaints to television stations and telling a horrific story of what some termed corporate neglect to the Village Board. —Jerry Shnay, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026

Negligence occasionally leads to horrific tragedy. —Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Mar. 2026

Over Your Dead Body is not for the faint of heart, but give or take a rape threat that crosses the line into smug sadism without quite seeming to realize it, the violence lands as more comically cartoonish than horrific. —Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 15 Mar. 2026

The series is about the horrific shock of unexpected sorrow, how death can divide families (or bring people together) and how navigating pain can alter perspectives and paths forward. —Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 13 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French & Latin; French horrifique, going back to Middle French, borrowed from Latin horrificus "inspiring awe or dread, frightening," from horrēre "to be stiffly erect, bristle, shudder, shiver" + -i- -i- + -ficus -fic — more at horror entry 1

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for horrific

• pacific
• prolific
• salvific
• specific
• terrific
• calorific
• conspecific
• hieroglyphic
• honorific
• nonspecific
• scientific
• soporific